They had spent a perfect evening together, then a perfect night, and morning. All before she had torn his heart out of his chest when he realized she had orchestrated the entire thing in order to get back at him.
It had gutted him, but of course, he hadn’t shown it. Instead, he’d laughed, trying to find some way to salvage his pride. “You really are like me,” he had said, and he would never forget how her face had fallen, as if there was no worse insult he could have given her.
The entire situation had messed him up—no,shehad messed him up. Luke had genuinely liked her. They had hit it off immediately, in a way he never had with anyone else, but it wasn’t real.
Or was it?He still wasn’t sure how much of that time was fiction. It had certainly felt real, but, in the end, what did it matter? She had only been trying to hurt him, and she had succeeded.
She was ruthless.
Though, a part of him did understand. She had done it to protect her younger sister.
He hadn’t known Millie was Emmeline’s sister, which was his own fault. He should have realized because the sisters looked so alike, but there was just something so different about Emmeline: her mannerisms, her style. The way she carried herself.
During those twenty-four hours together, he had memorized every detail, paying much more attention to Emmeline than he had during the week he had seen Millie, which was why he hadn’t been able to connect the dots.
When he hadn’t hit it off with Millie in the way he had hoped to, he wanted to be clear. He could see she really liked him, and he didn’t want her to hold out for a future that he knew could never exist.
“I’m not interested, and I never will be,” he had told her,precise and to the point. He knew he was being an asshole about it, but it was always easier if the girl could hate him, and he didn’t mind being the villain if it meant there was no room for misunderstanding.
He just didn’t realize how much those words could feel like a knife to the gut until he heard them from Emmeline’s lips.
Except, whereas he had successfully ensured that Millie would never be interested in him again, Emmeline had failed. No matter how many years had passed, a small part of Luke returned to her, again and again.
With a sigh, Luke rubbed a hand over his face. That was more than enough memories to make him sick. He needed to get back to work.
Standing, he went down to check on the chimeras. “Hey, Sharptooth,” he said to his chimera. She lowered her head, nudging him with her horns, and he petted her goat head as her snake tail slithered. “How’s it going, girl?”
Sharptooth was on break while his other chimera, Nightfire, was doing a session. Nightfire was his mother’s chimera but, since her health had declined, Luke had been looking after him with his younger brother Farhan.
Chimeras’ flames weren’t as intense as dragons’, so he imagined it took the chimeras longer to roast the coffee beans than it did Emmeline’s dragons, but his business was smaller than Emmeline’s anyway. His coffee was just as good—he knew because he had tried hers. They both had distinct flavor profiles.
Her business was flourishing, while his was struggling. The hills of Starshine Valley were the most popular and populated. Plus, her business started two years before his, so she had the first chance to sink her teeth into the market. But he didn’t have a rich family to just hand him the investment money. He had to fight for it, which took time.
Luke thought back to what Anh had said at Genevieve Sterling’s birthday, how both companies should consolidate. It would make sense for the sake of lucrative business, and he wouldn’t mind working with Emmeline. But her and her pride—it should have beenhimwho was angry withher.
With a sigh, he finished up his work at Tempest. He flew home on Sharptooth, Nightfire behind them. Chimeras were much smaller than dragons.
Chimeras had the body of a lion, but their wings were skin, muscle, and bone, without scales like dragons or feathers like griffins. Although chimeras did not fly very high or very fast, Luke was still chilly in the evening winter air as he made his way home, even in his neck scarf and coat. Emmeline must have kept warm in that ridiculous fur hat of hers, he thought to himself.
He and Sharptooth flew home to Bayview, the part of Starshine Valley that was all around the bay which opened into the lake. It was always colder and windier by the water, but chimeras loved the water, and most homes were walking distance to the lake. His neighborhood was no different, and they landed in his snow-covered backyard, Nightfire landing a moment later.
Nightfire went straight into the barn to rest, while Sharptooth played in the snow. Luke entered his family home,a mid-sized house that had always been comfortable for his family of four, though his brother had moved out ages ago, while Luke had stayed to look after their mom.
She had been sick since he was in university with a chronic illness; there wasn’t much they could do, but she still had regular doctor appointments, medications, and treatments to help mitigate the pain. While Luke’s father had a decent job, Luke and his brother Farhan still contributed. Though Farhan could only do so much as a teacher at Bayview Middle School with his own bills to pay.
Besides, Luke was older. Only by two years, but still. He felt it was more his responsibility, and his business had been doing well—until the rent on his plant doubled. If he didn’t win Anh’s investment, soon keeping Tempest open wouldn’t be feasible, and he’d need to pivot to do something else. He couldn’t afford to not be making a good income.
Coming in from the cold, Luke went through the house, turning on the lamps and lights now that the sun had set. His mother was asleep in the living room, two blankets over her legs and knitting needles and pink yarn in her lap. Two baby chimeras were asleep at her feet, and he smiled at the twins.
Picking up an empty mug and bowl from the table beside his mom, he took them to the kitchen, putting them in the dishwasher. As he did, he heard his mother’s voice.
“Luke? Is that you?”
He washed his hands then went over, kissing her hello. “Hiya, Mama.”
“Hello, darling,” she said, giving him a slow smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear; her hair was almostall gray now, very little black left, and it was cut in a short bob, easy to manage.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Have you eaten?”
